newcomers move into the big city and drown out that old draw. >> you can find it much more easily when you go to rural parts of texas, it's still there. but it's not as generally used in the city like austin. >> reporter: at the university of texas, they're studying the slow demise of this slice of southern identity, comparing dialect and recordings made almost 30 years apart. >> i like growing up in the country. >> i hike down a creek to fish or swim. >> you bear down on them r's a little bit, drop your g's and just slow down and talk to where people can understand you. >> reporter: he taught old hollywood to talk texan. >> sometimes i lean to one side of it, sometimes i lean to the other. >> reporter: paul newman and james dean spent weeks perfecting the twang. >> reporter: patricia neal even thanked him when she won the oscar for best actress. >> i think the twang is getting lost a little bit. >> reporter: now, even at iconic locals like the boot shop or the bbq joint the accent could be from anywhere. >> how is your day going today? >> reporter: a shift in the landscape as the icon